A popular place to start the week. We don't usually mention non-Milong events, but this regular Monday Practica/Milonguita has surpass expectations and can even be considered part of the other regular top London Tango venues.

Dancing level: Expect a very high level of dancing at this Practica/Milonguita. It has a strong
following & you
will regularly find a good share of local Milonguer[a/o] turn up.

Friendliness: It's an extremely popular place and yet it has a friendly feel.

Date & Time: Monday between 21:00 - 23:30 = 2.5 h @ £2 p/h

Location: Euston, Central London - Established: Practica/Milonguita running for more than a yearEntrance price: £5

NB: We don't usually include venues pitched as a Practica but this place has more of a Milonga feel due to its popularity and hence we have decided to make an exception and treat the place as a popular Milonguita worthy of review

This
is by far one of the most popular Practica/Milonguita venues in London. It now been running for more than a year and attracts many of the best London dancers and further afield. It has grown into a vastly popular regular 'beginning of the week' Practica/Milonguita and it is ideally located a short walk away from Euston station (Overground & Circle/Hammersmith & City/Metropolitan/Northern Lines).

I Love Mondays Practica/Milonguita St Aloysius Social Club in the heart of London. It usually takes place in a good size hall.

Free water is available from the kitchen, but there is no dispenser so you may want to bring your own water container to refill. They seem to have a BYO policy, so you can just bring your own water etc.

The
music is very
much your traditional fair played in Tandas & Cortinas and one of the organisers just so happens to be one of London's top DJ. However they also seem to rotate DJ and use not so well known ones, but it's pitched as a Practica at the end of the day and to have any kind of DJ playing regularly every week is a real bonus.

As
far as the dancing is concerned both the floors are lovely to dance on as you have a high amount of respectable dancers turn up to regularly at this Milonga and even though it tends to get quite busy most of the time it generally isn't a problem at this place and the floorcraft is always quite good.

In addition to the main floor there is also a separate Practica space about half the size of the main floor for anyone who only wants to practise. This is also a real bonus as people can just walk off the main floor and walk across to the other space which also gets used quite a bit, this also helps keep the main floor feeling more like a Milonga then a Practica and hence we say it's not just a Practica but a short Milonga i.e. Milonguita

Alternative venue(s) happening on the same day/night are:

Negracha Practica (still to be reviewed). Established Practica in Central London

Practica Tango y Nada Mas (still to be reviewed). A new Practica near Liverpool Street.

QTLondon Practica (still to be reviewed). Established Practica near Clapham

Pros/Cons: Obviously there are some good things worth noting about any club as well as some possible improvements.

No dispenser. However free water is available from the kitchen tap

High percentage of London's top dancers turn up regularly

Good floorcraft

It gets quite hot in there and they do not have any ventilation options apart from keeping all the doors open which does not work well due to the large number of dancers especially on hot days

Summary:
This is undoubtedly one if not the most popular Practica/Milonguita venues in town. A great place to kick start the week or extend the weekend no matter which way you look at it.

[notes]
Please note this was based on a guest review by one of our trusted friends.

A 'thumbs up' icon appears against each top London club (by overall popularity) and an 'exclamation mark' indicates recent changes worth pointing out.

NB reviews are based on personal experiences and may not reflect everyone's taste and opinions. Changes may have taken place since the last review which are not reflected in the overall score, so please bear this in mind.

Star ratings are based on the overall score & have been rounded up or
down to the nearest half point mark or whole figure e.g. a score
between 1.1-1.2 (incl) will makes '1' star, 1.3-1.7 makes '1 & 1/2' stars and 1.8-1.9 makes '2' stars etc

This Milonga has made some positive changes putting it back in the frame of the top London clubs.Dancing level:
All levels of dancers can be found at this Milonga, recent beginners
right after the classes and a good mix thereafter. You
will also find a few local Milonguer[a/o] attend this venue.

Friendliness: As with the other big clubs, it can seem a little daunting at first,
but there are likely to be some friendly dancers amongst the crowd.

Star Rating: (The rating and review is based on their Saturday Milonga)
Rating is based on a score of 3.8 (see 'Milonga scoring breakdown' for details)

This
Milonga is run by the people behind all the other 'Light' Milonga venues. It usually takes place twice a month alternating weeks with
the other popular Saturday night 'Corrientes' Milonga and it is fairly conveniently located a short walk from Old Street Tube (Northern Line) & Shoreditch High Street Rail (Overground) stations.

The Light Temple Milonga has been going for quite a few years now and is fairly established on the London Tango scene. It takes place at the Tab Centre which can accommodate a fair amount of dancers. The hall has a raised stage area as you walk in which is sometimes used for the DJ desk and/or as a general sitting area. There are chairs all around with a larger sitting area with tables on the opposite side to the stage. The floor is more of a square shape but sufficiently large that you may not even notice. It can get a bit tricky to walk around the place during a Tanda but this is not really a big issue.

Water is readily available in jugs at a smaller table next to the bar and is free of charge (as it should be) and they also serve wine from an area near the door or occasionally from a separate bar area.

The music is very much your traditional fair, played in Tanda & Cortina format, and the organizers regularly rotate DJs and occasionally invite guest DJs from Europe and further afield.

As far as the dancing is concerned, the floor is lovely to dance on, and a high number of respectable dancers turn up to this Milonga. It's perhaps not the biggest of the other top Milonga venues, but it rarely feels over crowded .

Update: Lately they have not held as many monthly Milonga events, but they make an effort to put on a good show and create special occasions every now and again.

Alternative venue(s) happening on the same day/night are:

<< Corrientes >> in Chalk Farm which is a small walk away from Camden Town

Sans Souci near Pimlico/Victoria but taking place earlier in the evening

Pros/Cons: Obviously there are some good things worth noting about any club as well as some possible improvements.

Free drinking/tap water is provided at a self service area and is regularly topped up

It is located in the hustle and bustle of the Old Street area, but there is usually no issues getting there or even parking.

They seem to have a good DJ rotation going on with many of London's favourite DJ attending regularly and occasional guest DJ from further afield, but they also feature up and coming DJ every now and again so it's worth checking to see who's on.

Summary: Milonga has gained some popularity of late as the team make an effort to put on a good show and host special occasions drawing in many local Milonguer[a/o].

A popular Milonga to finish the week with. It has managed to surpass expectations from its early days and now forms part of the other top London Tango clubs.

Dancing level:
All levels of dancers can be found at this Milonga, recent Beginners/Improvers
right after the classes, a good mix thereafter. It has a strong
following & you
will regularly find a fair share of local Milonguer[a/o] turn up, especially when in the big upstairs hall every now and again.

Friendliness: It's a popular place and yet it doesn't seem all that intimidating, especially during the usual Milonga in the smaller downstairs hall. Special events tend to be less casual affairs.

This
is by far one of the most popular Milonga venues in London. It now been running for a few years and already attracts many dancers from all over London
and further afield. It has grown into a vastly popular 'end of the week' Milonga and it is ideally located a short walk away from Camden Town station (Northern Line).

Tango Etnia Milonga takes place at
the Cecil Sharp House, which is England's award-winning folk arts centre, in the heart of London. It usually takes place in the smaller hall downstairs (which is actually a fairly good size for a Milonga) opposite the internal cafe or occasionally in the extremely large upper hall on special occasions which has an enormous capacity and can accommodate even the biggest Tango events. However as it is located in a residential area the Milonga is only allowed to go on until 11pm, so it is worth making an effort to get there early to make the most of it.

In addition to the cafe there is a bar downstairs as well, but this is not always open. However the cafe serves some alcoholic beverages as well in addition to the usual asortment of pastries, tarts and at times some Empanadas. Free water is also provided by a dispenser in one of the corners of the cafe and even though there are small paper cups available early on in the evening you may want to bring your own water container to refill in case the cups run out.

The
music is very
much your traditional fair played in Tandas & Cortinas and most of London's top DJ feature regularly with the odd up and coming DJ occasionally, but generally they also tend to up their game and put in a solid performance.

As
far as the dancing is concerned both the floors are lovely to dance on and you will get a fair amount of respectable
dancers turn up to this Milonga regularly, especially for their big occasions. However it does tend to get quite busy during the second half of the Milonga so at times it can seem a little overcrowded which might not suit all dancers present and floorcraft can suffer as a result.

Mariposa (still to be reviewed). Established afternoon Milonga in South London

Tango on the Thames (still to be reviewed). An occasional monthly Milonga held on the Thames embankment.

Los Angelitos (still to be reviewed) Tea Dance located in Islington

Tango 178 (still to be reviewed). A reasonably new Milonga in New Cross

Pros/Cons: Obviously there are some good things worth noting about any club as well as some possible improvements.

Free water is provided via a dispenser tap located in a corner of the cafe

It has a cafe that is operational during the Milonga and this also serves alcoholic beverages

Sometimes it also has a separate bar that opens for larger/special occasions

Occasionally they have special evenings in the beautiful grand hall upstairs which is probably the biggest hall used for a Milongain in London

As this Milonga is run from the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) home they tend to feature a regular Chacarera session during each Milonga in the spirit of things. This happens to be quite popular but it may not be to everyone's liking

Summary:
This is undoubtedly one of the more popular Milonga venues in town, especially on special event nights in the big upstairs hall and the only real drawback is that it only goes on until 11pm.

[notes]
* Trefusis hall is the slightly smaller dowstairs hall in Cecil Sharp house: cecilsharphouse.org/.../trefusis
** Occasionally during the Spring/Summer season the Milonga in Trefusis hall tends to start an hour later at 20:00
*** Kennedy hall is the large upstairs hall in Cecil Sharp house: cecilsharphouse.org/.../kennedy

This
is by far one of the most popular afternoon Milonga I have come across here in London. It usually happens every Saturday unless otherwise stated and is fairly conveniently located just around the corner from Russell Square station (Piccadilly Line) and only a short walk away from either Kings Cross or Holborn. The Milonga seems to have been going for quite a while now and is already established on the London Tango scene. It attracts many dancers and is popular both with recent beginners as well as more developed dancers.

Tango Garden takes place at one of the halls inside Corams Field Nursery, which is next to Goodenough College (for those who remember this), and also boast a separate hall for practicing in. The main hall is extremely light and airy due to all the large windows and can accommodate a fairly large number of dancers, although it must be said that it can feel a little overcrowded at times. The other hall which is used as a Practica room simultaneously is also a good size and a lot quieter with plenty of room for practice. The seating arrangement in the main hall goes all the way around and they used to mark the floor to indicate the area reserved for walking around i.e. not dancing. However even though they emphasised this at the start of the Milonga it was not really adhered to by many and now it seems they have given up on this ideal. A real shame as not only would it make getting around the place a lot easier during the Tanda, but would also provide some comfort to people sitting down at times when more eccentric dancers are close by.

There is no bar as such, but they do have a corner where you can help yourself to Water, Tea/Coffee, and Sangria served later in the afternoon, as well as a slice of home-made cake, yummy! They don't charge as such, but advise making a small contribution towards the ingredients.

The DJ corner is the opposite corner from the drinks area and the music is played by the organizer and is very much your traditional fair, played in Tandas & Cortinas.

As far as the dancing is concerned, the floor is lovely to dance on, apart from the area just outside the entrance which can be a little wet and windy from all the people entering/exiting all the time. There are a fair amout of respectable dancers that turn up regularly to this Milonga, but due to its sheer popularity as well as being known as a friendly Milonga, the floor can get more than a little chaotic at times which can have a knock on effect on the flow of Ronda.

Alternative venue(s) happening on the same day/night are:

Currently nothing else on Saturday afternoon, but there is the usual Saturday evening Milonga to choose from :

<< The Light Temple >> is just around the corner from the hustle and bustle of Old Street

Pros/Cons: Obviously there are some good things worth noting about any club as well as some possible

Free water is plentiful and jugs are monitored and re-filled regularly

Help yourself to tea/coffee & cake (possibly even Sangria) and contribute something towards the ingredients.

The DJ plays mainly popular traditional music, and even though there are some odd moments, it seems to have gotten better now that the DJ is focusing on the music

Floorcraft can be a bit hit and miss at times, but that is mainly due to it being quite busy and the various levels of dancers present

🔰 Beginner friendly Milonga which is frequented by a fair share of recent or ongoing beginners

Summary: This is undoubtedly a popular Saturday afternoon Milonga (not that there are m/any others) and the only main drawback I am aware of is that it can get very busy at times. Many attendees happen to be recent beginners and students who attend the pre-Milonga class which can ultimately affect the way the dance floor flows. I would not be put off completely by this as it can be quite a nice Milonga (especially in summer) and I would suggest you try out this venue for yourself, even if you end up escaping into the separate Practica room at times when it gets a bit too much. Might also be good to go there with a dance partner just in case.

One of London's longest running Milonga venues & without a doubt part of the top London clubs

Dancing level:
All levels of dancers can be found at this Milonga, some recent Beginners/Improvers after the classes, a good mix thereafter. It has a strong following, a large part of the crowd are regular visitors and you
will always find a good number of local Milonguer[a/o] attend this venue as well as from further afield.

Friendliness: As with the other big clubs, it can seem a little daunting at first,
but there are likely to be some friendly dancers amongst the crowd.

This is one of the biggest and longest running Milonga in London. It usually happens twice monthly on Saturday nights (alternating weeks with 'The Light' Milonga) and is fairly conveniently located just around the corner from Chalk Farm station (Northern Line) and only a short walk away from Camden Town.

The Milonga has been going for many years and is firmly established on the London Tango scene. It attracts many dancers from all over London and further afield.

Corrientes Milonga takes place at Haverstock School and uses one of their two big halls for the Milonga. Both halls are large and can accommodate many dancers. The main hall used is probably slightly smaller than the one located at the back end of the school, but is a better size and shape with a stage on the far side, tables and chairs all around, as well as some further seating behind these at the near side. The bar area is set up in one corner and the DJ desk is located at the opposite/far corner. The seating options are more than adequate and there is plenty of space to get around the place.

They have a simple bar setup in which sells a small selection of drinks and Empanadas (unfortunately only cold ones). They also provide some small snacks scattered around the tables and occasionally a complementary fruit buffet outside by the side door around 10.30pm.

The music is very much your traditional fair, played in Tandas & Cortinas, and the organisers regularly rotate DJs and invite popular guest DJs from all over the UK, Europe and further afield. It seems like the DJ that visit this Milonga seem to raise to the occasion more so than at other local Milonga venues.

As far as the dancing is concerned, the floor is lovely to dance on, and a high number of respectable dancers turn up to this Milonga regularly, probably more so than any other Milonga. It can seem a little intimidating at first when visiting this Milonga, but if you take a closer look you will find lots of friendly faces among the crowd and no matter how busy it gets the flow never seems to be a problem.

Alternative venue(s) happening on the same day/night are:

<< The Light Temple >> another Saturday Milonga on the other side of town near Old Street, but this happens on alternative weekends so is not competing with Corrientes

Sans Souci another Saturday Milonga near Pimlico/Victoria but this takes place earlier in the evening and also seems to alternate weekends with Corrientes

Pros/Cons: Obviously there are some good things worth nothing about any club as well as some possible improvements.

A really good standard of dancers turn up to this Milonga time after time.

It can get fairly hot in the hall at times when it's busy especially during the summer months. They do try to make use of large fans and leave some of the outer doors outside the hall open to get some air in, but it's not ideal so you may want to bring a fan just in case.

No free drinking/tap water is provided.

The lighting isn't the best in places which can be an issue for some people looking for their dance partners, especially across the hall which is quite large.

The club now operates as a members only club, so you will have to join in order to attend, but this is a fairly straight forward one time process which does not cost anything

Summary:
This is one of the biggest Milonga venues in town that has proved popular with many local dancers and even those from further afield over the years. The only real drawback is that sadly it only happens just twice a month. Yes it is a members only club now, but you only have to fill out a form once to become a member and there is no charge for this.

[Nota bene] I am extremely sad to report that the regular weekly Milonga at the Dome which has been running for more than 15 yearshas now been SUSPENDED INDEFINITELYOne of London's longest running Milonga venues & part of the top London clubs

Dancing level: All levels of dancers can be found at this Milonga, recent Beginners/Improvers
right after the classes, a good mix thereafter. It is frequented regularly by a good number of local Milonguer[a/o] as well as from further afield.

Friendliness: As with the other big clubs, it can seem a little daunting at first,
but there are likely to be some friendly dancers amongst the crowd.

According to their website: 'Zero Hour is one of the leading venues for learning and dancing Argentinian tango in London' and I tend to agree. They offer a varied program each week (Mon-Wed) with a Practica on Monday at the Dome, technique classes on Tuesday (now taking place across the road from the Dome at the at the Acland Dance Studio) and their big midweek Milonga at the Dome on Wednesday evenings.

The organizers also frequently host reputable dancers from Argentina and elsewhere at their club and the overall dancing experience during their Milonga rates among the best in London. Every Wednesday evening this hall, which is a separate part of the Boston Pub, transformed into one of the biggest Tango dance club, boasting a formidable size dance floor and playing traditional Tango in Tandas & Cortinas by some of the best DJs around.

The attendance rate is normally very good and usually you'll find the place buzzing as soon as you walk in. It also has a licensed bar, which operates during the Milonga only, so you may want to bring a bottle of water if you pan on coming early to attend a class.

Alternative venue(s) happening on the same day/night are:

Tito's in London Bridge (still to be reviewed)

Los Angelitos (still to be reviewed)

Pros/Cons: Obviously there are some good things worth noting about any club as well as some possible improvements.

The floor is extremely spacious, generally very good & can accommodate a large number of dancers

Plenty of seating and space to get around the Milonga in addition to having a big floor area

They always have either one of London's top DJ or guest DJ from elsewhere serving the music at this venue every week

Loyalty cards are available, which give a small discount every few
weeks and a free entry to the Milonga once the card has been completed

There is a fully licensed bar inside the Milonga

Free drinking/tap water is provide in jugs at the bar area

The toilets could benefit with some attention.

The venues is occasionally booked out for other events/gigs so it is worth checking beforehand to make sure this isn't the case and providing the management has given the Milonga organizers ample notice, it is likely to be advertised well in advance.

Summary: This Milonga really does set the benchmark, which isn't easy to follow. If you need to get your Tango fix during the week, then this certainly is the place for it.